Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti
Tracklist:
Disc One
1. Custard Pie (4:13)
2. The Rover (5:36)
3. In My Time of Dying (11:04)
4. Houses of the Holy (4:01)
5. Trampled Under Foot (5:35)
6. Kashmir (8:31)
Total: 39:04
Disc Two
1. In the Light (8:44)
2. Bron-Yr-Aur (2:06)
3. Down by the Seaside (5:14)
4. Ten Years Gone (6:31)
5. Night Flight (3:36)
6. The Wanton Song (4:06)
7. Boogie With Stu (3:51)
8. Black Country Woman (4:24)
9. Sick Again (4:43)
Total: 43:38
Introduction
Following the success of their untitled fourth album and Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin was ready to release their next opus. They recorded several new songs, but Jimmy Page desired to release a double album. There were several unused songs in the band�s catalogue, so it was decided to use a select handful of those songs to put on their album. In 1975, the band released Physical Graffiti to an anticipating fan base, and, not surprisingly, the album was very well received.
Synopsis
�Custard Pie� is the opener to disc one of Physical Graffiti. It�s a pretty good song with a catchy guitar riff accompanied by good bass lines and drumming. Robert Plant�s voice remains very high pitched throughout the song.
The hard rocking second track �The Rover� is one of the best songs on the album. I really dig that opening riff that lasts about a minute or so before the vocals come in. �The Rover� has some really great guitar and bass riffs, as well as some hard hitting drumming and a killer guitar solo. Plant�s voice is also great on this song, singing some very high-pitched lyrics during the chorus.
�In My Time of Dying� is the third track of disc one. This 11+ minute song features a slow guitar riff for the first few minutes of the song with accompanying bass lines and somewhat sparse drumming, but then goes into a much faster section around the 3:45 mark, with heavier guitar and bass riffs and louder drumming, not to mention louder vocals as well. In my opinion, this is a pretty good song, but feels longer than it should be.
�Houses of the Holy� was originally meant to be on the album of the same name, but was cut. However, it�s here, and it�s a welcome addition to the album. It�s got a great guitar riff and great vocals, as well as some nice, lighthearted lyrics.
The funk-inspired �Trampled Under Foot� is up next. I really like this song. The bass line is catchy as hell and the vocals are loud and awesome. At the 2:15 mark, there�s a really cool keyboard solo, after which Bonham quickly erupts on the drums. As the song comes into a close, the tempo gradually gets faster and faster. This is a song that you�ll want to crank up to near-max volume, as it�s just fun to listen to.
The middle-eastern inspired track �Kashmir� closes out disc one. This is one of Led Zeppelin�s most well known songs, not only because of a rather large amount of radio airplay, but because this song is great overall. Whether it�s the intriguing lyrics sung with Plant�s brilliant vocals, the steady drumbeat, or the catchy string section (that�s probably it, isn�t it?!), there�s a lot to like about this song.
Disc two commences with �In the Light�, which features an interesting keyboard intro to go along with the vocals tinged with strange effects. Actually, this song overall is one of the more offbeat songs in the Led Zeppelin catalog, with some unique keyboards and guitar riffs, along with a suitable drum beat to go along with them. This song is in the same vein as �In My Time of Dying�, this isn�t a bad song, but it stretches longer than it probably should.
Next up is �Bron-Yr-Aur�, a short instrumental featuring Jimmy Page on an acoustic guitar. It�s a nice, soothing piece, nothing more, and nothing less.
�Down by the Seaside� is a nice lighthearted song with slow guitar riffs accompanied by keyboards to go along with Plant�s singing. At 2:08, the song goes into a bit of a faster pace, with a bit of soloing and quicker drumming. Plant�s vocals also get a bit louder, but then the song calms down again into the slow melody before the song got faster.
�Ten Years Gone� contains a gloomy guitar riff accompanied by equally depressing vocals and lyrics. There�s some great guitar work here from Page, including some great guitar solos.
�Night Flight� has some really good vocals from Plant, especially as the song is about to end, as well as some nice keyboards from Jones. There�s not much to say about this song, mainly because it isn�t too amazing overall, but it�s somewhat fun to listen to.
Another funk-inspired track, �The Wanton Song� features a killer guitar riff, a catchy drumbeat, and cool keyboard melodies that just make you want to rock out in an uncool way. Well, if you�re nerdy like me, anyway. Back on-topic, this is probably the best track on disc two, and is one of the heavier songs on the whole album.
Ian Stewart, the �sixth� member of the Rolling Stones (he played on �Rock and Roll� on the Untitled album), plays ragtime inspired piano melodies on the song. This song features some memorable singing from Plant (I guarantee you�ll be singing �Hey babe, hey babe!� after listening to this song), as well as a good acoustic guitar solo and catchy drumbeat.
�Black Country Woman� begins with some studio chatter before beginning with the main acoustic riff of the song. This song has a lot of elements from the Led Zeppelin I and II era, complete with, you guessed it, a harmonica solo!
�Sick Again� is another hard rocking tune. It doesn�t really feel like an appropriate closer to the album, but it�s a fairly good song. The guitar solo in it is really good.
Highlights
�Trampled Under Foot�, �Kashmir�, �The Wanton Song�
Bottom Line
Physical Graffiti has a lot of great classic Led Zeppelin songs, with a few less than stellar songs. But this is a great album overall and is certainly worth picking up.
Final Grade: A
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Last Updated ::
5/11/2005
Album: Physical Graffiti
Album line-up:
Jimmy Page - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Robert Plant - Harmonica, Vocals
John Paul Jones - Bass, Keyboards, Mellotron
John Bonham - Drums
Additional Personnel:
Ian Stewart - Piano on "Boogie With Stu"
Release Year: 1975
Label: Swan Song
Produced by: Jimmy Page